Swim ball



June 21, 1960 J. H. IRVING 2,941,219

swm BALL Filed July 22, 1957 2 Sheets- Sheet 1 lA/yavrae (122/1455 A. few/v6 Arroe/ws/s.

June 1960 J. H. IRVING I 2,941,219

SWIM BALL Filed July 22, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ZNVENTOR. J4Ms H lew/va SWIM BALL James H. Irving, 427 S. Olive St, Los Angeles, Calif.

Filed July 22, 1957, Ser. No. 673,307

1 Claim. (Cl. 9-313) This invention has to do generally with toys and sporting goods, and more particularly with devices for use by persons in swimming or bathing.

An object of the invention is to provide a novel, safe device for persons in swimming or bathing which can be used in a variety of ways to support a person in the Water and to propel a person through the water.

Another object is to provide a relatively simple and inexpensive device of the type indicated which can be readily used by both children and adults as a swimming aid, for special exercise, and as a toy or amusement device.

Still another object is to provide a dew'ce of the type indicated which in certain forms, is collapsible for shipment or transport.

These and other objects will be apparent from the drawing and the following description:

Referring to the drawing, Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a swimmer and an end view of a device embodying the invention showing one manner of using the device.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view partly broken away, showing the device of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 33 of Fig. 2, but on a larger scale.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 44 of Fig. 2, but on a larger scale.

Fig. 5 is an elevational view of another form of the invention.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view on line 6-6 of Fig. 5, but on a larger scale. a

Fig. 7 is an elevational view, partly in section, of another form of the invention.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view on line 8-8 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view of still another form of the invention.

Fig. 10 is a sectional view of a further form of the invention.

More particularly describing the invention, referring to Figs. l-4, the device comprises a "hollow ball or float member, designated 11, which is watertight, and a pair of paddles, generally indicated by 12, projecting in alignment from opposite sides of the ball.

The ball 11 may be made of various materials, and in Figs. 2 and 4 the ball is shown as comprising a rubber or synthetic rubber body 14 to which is vulcanized or cemented a pair of oppositely disposed internally threaded cups 15. The latter receive the threaded inner ends 16 of rods 17, which may be formed of wood or any desired material. At the outer ends of the rod 17 are blades 18 which are secured in any suitable manner.

With the construction illustrated, the paddles 12 are detachable from ball 11 for shipment and transport. Also I may provide a valve 20 of any suitable type in the Wall of ball 11, so that the ball may be collapsed and inflated as desired.

In the use of the device the swimmer grasps the rods 17 of the paddles, the rods serving as handles. As shown Patented June 21, 1960 in Fig. 1, the user may operate the device by placing it ahead of inthe water and then alternately dipping the paddles in and raising them out of the water while moving the paddles backward and forward, propel himself through the water. It will be obvious that the device may also be used in many other ways, limited only by the imagination of the user, both to support a person in the water and to propel him through the water.

In Figs. 5 and 6 I show a substantially stiff or rigid form of the invention wherein the entire device is made of a substantially rigid material, such as of a suitable plastic, and in this form of the invention, 25 designates the central portion, which is hollow, 26 a pair of tubular handles integral with the central portion, and 27, blades at the ends of the handles. As indicated in Fig. 6, the device may be molded or otherwise formed in two parts, designated 28 and 28', and the parts subsequently joined along the seam 29 by a suitable solvent or cement, or by heat and pressure if the material is thermoplastic.

In Figs. 7 and 8 I show still another form of the invention wherein the ball, designated 30, is shown as being a hollow rubber ball provided with a central tubular section 31 providing a passage 32 therethrough. Surrounding the section 31 is an air chamber 33. If desired a valve 34 may be provided to make it possible to collapse and subsequently inflate the ball when desired. The paddles are shown as comprising rods 35 and blades 36. The rods 35 fit within the tube 31 and are detachably secured, as by means of a screw 38 which is fixedly mounted in one of the members and threadedly received in the other.

In Fig. 9 I show a form of the invention wherein the paddles are mounted independently of each other and in a manner to permit of limited universal pivotal movement relative to each other and the ball. In the figure, the ball, designated 30 is the same as the one shown in Fig. 7, having the central tubular section 31. Each paddle 40 has a rod-like handle 41 and a blade 42. The handle portion 41 is formed to provide a ball-like or bulbous inner end portion 44- which is forced into the resilient tubular section 31 of the ball as shown. This construction makes for greater flexibility of the paddles when the device is assembled.

While I have shown several forms of the invention each embodying a hollow ball or ball-like member, it is not essential that this portion of the device be hollow. Thus in Fig. 10 I show a form of the invention wherein I provide a ball-like central member 59 of a solid or substantially solid buoyant substance. This is formed about the handle 51 of a two-bladed paddle member 52. Any of several common buoyant materials may be used for the member 50, however, if the material is porous, it should be coated with a Waterproof material.

Although I have shown several embodiments of my invention, I contemplate that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the invention, the scope of which is indicated by the claim.

I claim:

A device of the type described, comprising a hollow float member having an open-ended, integral, resilient tubular section therethrough from side to side, and a pair of paddle members each including a handle section, a paddle section at the outer end of the handle section, and a bulbous inner end portion, the handle section of each paddle approximating in diameter the diameter of said tubular section of said float and the bulbous inner end portion of each paddle being of substantially greater diameter than the normal inner diameter of said tubular section of said float and being received therein.

(References on following page) References Cited in'gi'e file of this patent 1,740,560 UNITED STATES PATENTS 1394374 359374 Wright Mar. 15, 1887 2 45 1,569,551 Gibson Sept.23, 1924 5 2:

4 Andrews Dec. 24, 1929 Kask Jan. 17, 1933 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Aug. 20, 1925 Great Britain Apr. 24, 1935 

